Vie Morte
by WildNoa13474
Summary: Lelouch wakes up again. He suspects it has something to do with the Code running through his veins. Or maybe the strangely coloured flames. Part 4 of the Identity Crisis series.
1. Forest

Lelouch scoffs at the boys before him, who're sneering down at him. There are four of them in a semi-circle around him, one holding a sharp stone and the rest thick sticks. They're grinning maliciously, their bodies blocking out the light that came from the opening of the alleyway behind them.

They had no doubt seen him as an easy target and decided to corner him in an alley on his way home. He's three years younger and skinny, no threat in the eyes of the ten year olds.

Unfortunately for them, Lelouch is more than he looks.

Some people might say Lelouch has a dramatic streak. Others would fiercely disagree, because the seven year old doesn't have anything close to a dramatic streak- rather, he has a normal streak among the drama that is his personality. And even the existence of that normal streak is debatable.

Lelouch comes out of a silent, bloodied alley, a small smile of satisfaction on his pale face, before wandering in the direction of a nearby airport. This city doesn't hold what he's looking for, even though he doesn't know exactly what that is himself.

His rebirth had come as a surprise, and Lelouch was glad to find this mother had named him Lelouch too. There would be minimal name confusion, at least, although his appearance is different.

As soon as he was old enough, he'd set out to find the reason for his reincarnation. He searched the corners of the earth for the purpose of the second chance he'd been given. The purple flames were only a measure to help that search.

Does he need to do something? Carry out a task for whoever 'graciously' gave him a new life? As long as he doesn't know, he'll search for an answer of some kind. Why him? Why here?

Before his eleventh birthday, Lelouch is widely known as the most ruthless killer in Europe, even though nobody who's seen his face has survived. Those who get in his way, die.

Even he isn't Invincible, though. At twelve years old, when his reputation and influence is spreading to Asia and America, Lelouch gets heavily drugged in a moment of inattention and stabbed multiple time through the chest. The purple flames surrounding him aren't fast enough to burn his attacker, and as the wild eyes of his murderer bore into him in pain and vengeance, his fogged mind realizes what he's done. Lelouch is the cause of this vengeance. He had killed so many people in this life, people who had family and friends who miss them, just because they were in his way on his path to nowhere. Nunnally would hate him for it. _Had hated him for it._

When he opens his eyes yet again the first thing he does is swear he'll never become that ruthless monster again.

Lelouch is an orphan, his single mother dying upon his birth, but once again, despite everything, he's named Lelouch.

He researches into the purple flames that had protected him in his previous life, finding only the barest scraps of information, which frustrates him immensely. Finally, Lelouch tries to summon them again, only to find after a few tries to his surprise not purple, but instead bright green fire dancing in his hand.

Lelouch throws everything into his research and protecting his only living family member, his older brother. Any threats to his brother or him are annihilated in a flash of green, sometimes exhausting Lelouch to the point of passing out but at least keeping his brother safe. He's not losing another sibling.

He takes note of his exhaustion and theorizes that it's because he's letting a burst of raw power loose, nor specifically aimed anywhere, while it could be more effective and less draining if he knows how to focus the fire at one point.

He trains, to become better, to protect his brother because _if he couldn't protect his sister let him at least protect something else, let him not lose anyone else, not after all he's lost._

Eventually, at the age of eight years old, a large group targets him and he can't escape. He's helpless, too weak to protect even himself from this many people.

Imprisoned, useless, the leader of the kidnappers tells him they're the Mafia. The Migliore family, to be precise.

They're after his flames.

The Migliore boss tells him there are more of these Flame users, and Flames are a well kept secret in the Mafia world. Someone noticed him waving those green Flames around- apparently they're called Lighting Flames- and they 'collected' him to join their Family.

He accepts and they let him out. Minutes afterwards, his first escape attempt gets him killed.

The next time he wakes he's angry at himself, angry at how helpless he was even with his Flames. He strives to become the best in everything, so he'll never be helpless again.

His brother was _taken_ from him. That's not something he can accept. He neglects everyone around him, focuses only on his self-imposed mission. What could he have done differently, what could have kept him with his brother?

He's not allowed in the gym at five, and it's not like a gym would be good enough anyway, so he trains his agility, speed, instinct and pain resistance by making as many enemies as he can. He spends his days in libraries and his nights on the streets with his wild red flames, barely coming home to- or caring about- his worried family.

As soon as he can, he infiltrates the Mafia and learns more. There are seven types of Flames, called Elements, named after weather conditions. Logically.

The red one he has now is named Storm Flames, the purple one two lives ago is called Cloud Flames, and as he already knows, his previous life he had Lightning flames.

There are also Mist Flames, defined by indigo flames, Sun Flames which are yellow, Rain Flames which are blue, and orange Sky Flames.

Every Flame has an accompanying attribute and usually falls into a certain personality range. For instance, Sky Flames have the attribute Harmony and are natural leaders, which led to the question if a personality was created according to the Flame that person has or if the Flame is a representation of a person's personality.

Apparently every human has Flames, they're a sort of life force, but only a few individuals ever activate them and can use them.

Lelouch has to wonder if he was a Sky in his first life. Probably.

At sixteen years old, still in the Mafia, Lelouch finally realizes he essentially ran away from home two years ago.

Guiltily, he checks back to his old home, only to find it empty. When he asks around, he finds that they moved out a few months after their eldest went missing.

 _Eldest? I'm a brother?_

At sixteen years old, he throws himself into the search for his abandoned family, hating himself for leaving them and hating himself for barely remembering what they were like.

He searches and searches until he finally finds a clue. He follows it to a house on the outskirts of Paris, finding two freshly dead bodies.

At sixteen, his little sister that he barely remembers having greets him standing over his parents' bloodied bodies with a knife in her hand and a smile on her face.

At sixteen, his little sister kills him while he's despondently staring at the endless sea of blood around him.

The next thing he knows, he's alone. His parents dropped him off at an orphanage as a newborn. No family to protect. No family to abandon. He's alone.

He can't stand the orphanage. He hates himself and he hates the world for making him live.

As soon as he can, he walks away from it. He wanders from place to place, searching for... Something. What, he isn't sure, but he's had it before and he's lost it before. It makes him angry. It makes him hateful.

No one has named him so he calls himself Lelouch.

When he wakes his flames this time, it's a dark, dark green. Not the bright Lightning Flames from before, but something completely different.

No matter which country or continent he travels, no one recognizes it.

He calls them Wind Flames.

On his fifth birthday, he drowns, lost in the ocean.

He wakes again to death and he hates it. He wants this cycle of pain and hatred and loss to stop because it's not fair it's not FAIR WHY DOES EVERYONE DIE.

He trades his life for power. It doesn't matter to Lelouch, because his mother named him before she died in the middle of the birth of his stillborn twin. It doesn't matter because if he just gains enough power, he would never have to wake up ever again.

He tricks people into giving him more power. His illusions are untraceable and his flames a strong indigo. He keeps himself alive simply for the sake of never waking up ever again. Not to death. Not to this.

He fails. He's too weak, his illusions break and his walls fall down and every mask he's tried to wear, every identity and personality and wants and likes and dreams he's hid under fall apart to expose the lie he sold as the truth and the truth he sold as lie and the truth that was just a vulnerable ten year old boy underneath.

He breaks, and there's no one to put him together again.

Yet he wakes back up anyway and this time has a normal family with a mom a dad and an uncle too. He goes to school and lives a normal life and doesn't run away. He doesn't run away, but he doesn't stay, not really. He's apathetic, lethargic, depressed. Dead to the world. He knows everything will soon be taken from him again and again and again.

One day, at school, he sees a girl crying over a book. He comes closer. It's a humor genre book. He talks and he listens.

He unintentionally offers support and an anchor, a calming presence with a sound mind. A true rain.

That's how people see him.

He finds these things called friends by saves them from themselves. At a time of peace, of friends brought together by one stable pillar, there's an attack. His family is threatened. Lelouch is thirteen and isn't ready to lose them yet and throws himself in front of a blade to save them. It's the first time he has died smiling.

A moment later, the same smile is hollow and empty.

It's harsh, and cold.

He retreats to a corner of the earth, and has no family to protect or be there for. He learns to shut people out.

He puts a firm barrier between himself and the world, simply surviving on the hope that this nightmare will pass. Or rather, that one day he'd fall asleep and never wake up again.

If Nunnally had seen him like this she would have no doubt argued that life is precious and he's wasting his. However, she wasn't here. She was probably in the place wherever the fuck spirits go to while he was stuck on earth.

He awakens his Flames, again. For no real reason other than curiosity. The flames are a bluish gray, but didn't have the feel of a corrupted flame. He names them Hail Flames.

Lelouch is taken to a therapist multiple times, by bystanders worried for the eight year old seemingly living alone. Lelouch doesn't care.

The therapist welcomes him and sees a lethargic boy who has lost the will to live.

"Lelouch, do you know what a therapist is?"

Lelouch doesn't answer, and the therapist keeps talking.

"I'm a sort of consultant. People come to me with their problems and I help fix them."

Lelouch still doesn't react.

"Would you tell me what you would like to fix, Lelouch? I can't do my job if you don't tell me."

The corners of his mouth twitch in amusement. He wonders how the therapist would respond to an answer like "I never want to wake up again," coming from an eight year old.

Lelouch doesn't respond to the question.

"Let my guess, then. Do you want your voice back?"

Lelouch looks up at that one, surprised. Did someone tell the therapist that he's mute? Well, fair enough. He doesn't think he has spoken before in this lifetime.

"You know, Lelouch, we'll keep sitting here until your father comes to pick you up again. It's up to you whether it's gonna be productive or boring."

Apparently they think the neighbor who dropped him off with the instruction "Fix the kid." was his father.

He nods in acknowledgement to the therapist, and the therapist smiles back.

"Alright, now that you're willing to talk, let's begin with something smaller. Tell me, what is your favorite animal?"

Lelouch reaches towards the notepad on the table, looking expectantly at the therapist, who motions for him to go ahead.

Because he probably _can't_ talk, after the extreme disuse of his voice.

Two minutes later, Lelouch shows the beautifully abstract drawing of a cat that he made, honestly looking more like it should be in a frame in a museum.

It continues like this, the therapist asking questions and Lelouch giving ridiculous or completely un-childlike answers, until the therapist finally announces the session to be over and sent him home, telling him to come back later and bring his father this time.

Lelouch doesn't see the point in telling her that he won't. Come back, that is. There's no reason to.

One the way home he's ambushed, beaten and shot.

And he lost absolutely nothing but his life. He'd been exhausted, lonely and depressed, but he hadn't lost anyone else.

He wakes up in a Japanese hospital and goes through the motions. He retreats, and he this time lives like a normal person to avoid anyone bothering him. He goes to school, fits in and awakens his white Flames.

This was the third Flame that didn't fit any of the Flames Lelouch had been informed about. He names it Snow Flames, and wonders how many flames there really are.

This time, he gets a look into the life of normal children. He sees them laugh, he sees them talk, he sees them cry and he sees them do it all with their friends and feels a sting of empty, bitter loneliness.

He shuts it out. He can't get attached to anyone. He can't lose anyone. He's a fourteen year old boy who simply wants this nightmare to be over because he never asked for this and never wanted it.

A month later, a boy with snow white hair approaches the boy eating lunch on the edge of the rooftop.

"Why are you sitting there?" The former asked, sounding curious. "This area is forbidden for students, you know?"

Lelouch glances at him, and nods idly, looking like he didn't even remotely care about that particular rule.

The white-haired boy sits next to him quietly and simply studies him for the next few minutes. Lelouch looks back at him coldly, and only turned back to his lunch when the boy finally turned away to grab his own lunch.

When he's done eating, Lelouch stands and walks away, pointedly ignoring the warm Sky Flames reaching out for his.

The day after, the boy joins Lelouch again, and begins to talk to him about trial things. The weather, the local news, oh have you heard about the festival in a few weeks, what do you think of the new teacher? Lelouch decidedly ignores him and ignores his reaching, inviting Flames.

Over the next month, Lelouch grows more and more frustrated and confused. The boy doesn't even know he's Flame Active, much less what type his Flames are, Lelouch had made sure no one could tell. Why is he still so insistant on joining him every lunch? What did the nameless boy want from him?

Did he just want to see Lelouch break and finally speak to him? In that case, he'd give up soon. Lelouch would just ignore him until then.

Half a year later the boy still spends every single lunch on the roof. Lelouch had debated simply choosing another spot, but the roof is the only place not swarmed with students during the breaks, and the boy isn't really bothering him.

Lelouch still doesn't know his name, but he doesn't care about something as trival as that. What he wants to know is why the boy hasn't long given up on talking to him.

The next time the boy joins him for lunch, he brings a green eyed boy with him. The latter glances around nervously, completely missing Lelouch, addressing the white-haired boy as Riku and asking him what they're doing up there, don't you know it's off limits?

Riku replies for Kaito to stop being such a worry wart, and sits down next to Lelouch like he did it regularly. Which he did. The latter could feel Kaito's Lightning Flames stilling in shock.

Kaito gapes at finally seeing Lelouch, who looks back coldly, and quickly hurried after Riku to the edge of the roof before whispering unsubtly to Riku what the hell he was doing sitting with the most cold, silent guy in the school whose glare could freeze your heart in an instant and whose name even his sizable fanclub didn't dare ask.

Lelouch snorts in amusement at the sheer ridiculousness of what Kaito says. Riku looks amazed and delighted at Lelouch finally acknowledging their existence, while Kaito looks shocked and terrified of him. Lelouch doesn't look back at them for the rest of the lunch period.

Not one student knows his name? Lelouch thought some would at least ask the teachers what his name is, and those definitely have his name on record. Sure, no teacher calls him by his name, but that's because he's either addressed directly or not mentioned at all. There's simply nothing for the teachers to mention about him. That's what he'd thought, at least.

But honestly, what idiot started the rumor about his glare? Please. He's never glared at anyone in this lifetime before.

Riku keeps coming to this with him, sometimes leaving Kanto to do something else but never skipping a day himself, and soon Lelouch finds himself recognizing Riku's presence from before he even climbs the stairs to the roof.

Over time, one by one, he brings five more Guardians to the edge of the roof. All are wary of him and clearly protective of their Sky, but relax over time when nothing happens. Lelouch notices the change in their Flames; even though they know nothing about him, not even his name, for some reason they instinctively begin to trust him not to harm their Sky.

They never ask him to speak or to respond, to join them or to go away. They accept that he doesn't talk and doesn't _do_ teamwork, and leave it at that.

He finds himself on the roof more often than not, feeling like he's standing on the edge of the world and looking over the endless abyss laid out before him. Powerless to change a thing yet a part of it himself.

The pattern continues until a year later, when Lelouch is nearly sixteen.

One cold, cloudy day in January, lunch hour passes without a sign of the group of people he's come to know.

Lelouch has the bad feeling this isn't because they decided to take a last minute vacation to Hawaii.

Lelouch realizes he's concerned for them. Lelouch realizes that he feels empty without them there. He stops and looks at himself. In the deepest part of his mind he already knows he's failed in his self-exile.

He clenches his fist. Fuck this, he's involved now and if something happens to those he had unpreventably, undeniably begun to consider family, there was going to be hell to pay.

When he's looking for it, he finds his Sky's Flame easily. It's caged, chained by foul bonds, and that makes him **angry**. The other six elements' Flames flicker around their sky, weakened and desperate.

 **The fuckers who caused this will not see the light of day ever again.**

He doesn't even realize he's moving until he's standing in front of a dingy warehouse on the outskirts of town, debating with himself if _hey, maybe a plan would be a good idea-_ right up until he hears an anguished, exhausted cry come from inside.

The door is off its hinges a moment later, and Lelouch immediately takes in the situation and focuses on the biggest threat in the room, the sadistic Mist torturing his family.

Said Mist had turned around at a sound just in time to see the door landing with a deafening clang on the floor. He stares, in shock, at the teenage boy with pure white flames dancing around his hands and on his forehead, contrasting with his raven black hair but matching his light silver eyes.

And by God, are those cold eyes absolutely fucking terrifying.

For once, the huge man does something smart and scrambles for his phone. He is, after all, not a fighter. The real fighters are off battling the victim's Famiglia now that they're weakened by the heir's dissappearance, and the henchmen that were previously in the room had turned tail and ran.

"We missed one!" He speaks quickly, eyes on the slowly advancing figure, struggling to get his panicked words out under the oppressive aura. "There's another Guardian. I thought you said he only had six!?"

Because there is not a single sliver of doubt that this is a Guardian's fury. This is a Guardian whose family was kidnapped and tortured and who's now here for revenge.

He only hears the beginnings of a confused response when the teenager apparently decides it has been long enough and was suddenly _there,_ crushing his throat and arm against the wall the Mist had inadvertently backed up against, causing him to choke for air and drop the phone because of the sudden lack of blood circulation in his hand.

The Mist looks into the others eyes, and gives up any hope of being rescued. The only thing he could hope for now is a merciful death.

And a merciful death he gets. The pathetic scum simply isn't worth time on.

(Lelouch burrows his hand deep into the man's stomach and proceeds to burn the man up from the inside, grinning sadistically as the Mist's anguished screaming sounds through the warehouse, until his lungs and vocal cords are obliterated and a few more choking noises are heard before the guy's eyes dim and his body goes limp.)

Lelouch steps away from the Mist, the body falling to the floor without Lelouch holding it up, and cold silver eyes bleed back into hazel, Flames simmering out.

He turns around and his hard features soften slightly at the sight of his family. They're beat up and worn, but getting angry over that now won't help.

Some were staring in awe, others horrified, but all were completely baffled. Even Michiko, the Cloud Guardian, has her eyes narrowed in her familiar what-the-fuck look.

Lelouch silently frees them and looks at Riku, who takes a moment to gather his words.

"You.. came for us...?" Is the first thing he manages to get out

Lelouch just looks at the group, waiting for them to act.

"Why?" Riku finally asks. "Why would a civillian risk his life to save us? Wait, are you even a civillian?"

Lelouch shrugs, and gives a bitter smile. "As much of a civillian as a Flame Active can be." Hs voice is hoarse from disuse, but surprisingly alright. Lelouch suspects it's because he actually talks in this lifetime, even if it's only once every few months to talk with his landlord.

All seven Elements are now openly staring at him, caught off guard. Naohiro, the Storm Guardian, finally blurted out, "You can talk?!"

Lelouch glances around in the very stereotypical abandoned warehouse, lingering on his family's injuries.

"This is not the right place for this conversation. Let's get-"

"No." Riku interrupted. "First you owe us an explanation."

He holds Lelouch's gaze for a moment, and the latter reluctantly nods.

"First off, what's your name?" Nakia the Sun Guardian pipes in. Lelouch blinks, before remembering that no matter how much he knew about them, they knew next to nothing about him.

"Lelouch. Rumayaka Lelouch."

Half an hour later, the desperate battle for the Yamade Mansion is swiftly ended by a bloodied stranger with silver eyes that seem to almost be glowing and pure white Flames. The fight falls still as the already weakened sieging force is quickly and efficiently dismantled by the unexpected attack.

The teenager stands still for a moment after the enemy force had been incapitated, staring at the habitants of the mansion, and for a fearful moment the part of the Yamade family left standing thinks that he's going to finish them off too.

Then he turns and the wounded group follows his line of sight, only to see the Yamade heir and his Guardians standing at the edge of the battlefield, in bad shape but alive and not locked in some basement like the family had thought they were.

It goes almost smoothly from then. Before Lelouch knows it he's being bombarded with questions about who he is, about his Flames, about his knowledge of the Mafia. Days pass and Lelouch is present when a sober Riku takes the title of Head of the Yamade, his father having been killed in the battle. He's officially named the Eighth Guardian, Snow.

Weeks pass and Lelouch manages to put the knowledge that he's going to lose everything out of his mind and simply gives up on thinking he'd be able to distance himself again.

Months pass and Lelouch watches as Riku's left hand as hardship after hardship hit the family, his family, and they gets harder to overcome every time. The other Guardians have become family, and by the time Lelouch realizes he'd die for them, he's accepted that nothing lasts forever.

A year has passed and Lelouch is sixteen when he takes a bullet meant for Nakia in the leg, and then another two in the chest before his family's rage obliterates the opposing family. He coughs a bit, red spattering the pavement, feeling the strength seep from his body painfully fast.

Even so, he manages a small, wistful smile as he witnesses the one-sided destruction going on. His heart is breaking all over again, but the fact that it can means it was healed before and Lelouch finally sees that.

His vision is swimming, but still he thinks he catches a glance of a vague figure resembling Nunnally standing before him, giving a small smile of sadness and understanding. Lelouch smiles back at the delusion, and remembers the day Riku asked him about family.

 _"I had a little sister, once. She was the sweetest, most kind sister you can imagine. If she would be here now, she'd be smiling."_

 **First of all, I am so sorry. Lelouch is incredibly OOC and that's because in the show his whole personality is basically love for Nunnally, hate against Brittania and pure determination and intelligence. Right now there's no determination, no Nunnally and no Brittania.**

 **Fun fact: Riku is a popular Japanese male name. One of the meanings is Wise Sky and another is Nice, Cool Sky.**

 **Kaito is another popular name and means Supportive Person, among other meanings. Also known as side character.**

 **So I was just browsing French fanfiction hoping to find an easy looking one to help me learn French. Then I saw the word Vie.**

 ** _Woah,_ I thought, _that's an actual French word?_**

 **So I looked it up, and turns out I accidentally named my story Life Death.**

 **Wow, that title must look so stupid to French speakers.**

 **So the story here is that I wanted to mix Lelouch Vi Britannia with Skull de Mort, but Vi Mort just doesn't sound good so I added some e's. I knew Mort(e) means Death, but wow I never thought I would accidentally name my story Life Death.**

 **I'm still gonna keep it, though, I kinda like it.**


	2. Mountain

Lelouch wakes up screaming, weeping, something he hasn't woken up to since his fourth life, as a Storm. It's a strange thing to Lelouch. He had died smiling, hadn't he?

But, thinking back, he thinks he remembers flashes, a feeling, a thought that he didn't have in his life as a Snow. Had he lived afterwards? Another life, inbetween? It frustrates him that he can't recall anything else.

Lelouch has lived so many times, worn so many faces which had turned into masks over time, that when he finds out the hard way he's been reborn into an abusive family he has no problem running and creating a new mask for himself, and with it, a new name. To be honest, he's associated the name Lelouch with so many identities that just that name spoken could call a memory to the surface of his mind.

He decides to make the most of this life, decides to pretend the last one didn't exist, and like a few lives before, he tries stunting. This time, he isn't interrupted by a big tree and a broken arm midway through the first jump. He flies, and finally understands Rivalz's passion.

The rush is something he hasn't felt in lives. He's hooked, and even crashing half the time doesn't deter him.

When he finally fails a fatal jump Lelouch expects death, but instead finds Cloud flames multiplying his cells at a rate he's never seen before, mending his bones and skin. He falls still, not having expected to be a Cloud ever again, not after realizing what he'd done as a Cloud and rejecting the Cloud lifestyle forever.

Nevertheless, Skull moves forward, determined to keep his promise to himself to never hurt anyone like that again.

Even when Skull expects that _this_ time, the failed stunt cost him his life, his flames work miracles and he discovers his regeneration rate is both subconscious and near indestructible. He accepts it and lets the awed crowd call him the Immortal Stuntman. He figures it'll be nice to live past twenty for once.

His mask is created a prideful one, boastful, bravado 'hiding' weakness and cowardry. A deeply buried part of him, the part that had once taken the world, hated this mask and wanted to break free from this illusion of _follower_ , but that Cloud's longing for freedom had long ago lead to destruction and pain and Lelouch would never be _that_ again. If no one knew he could make others hurt, no one would try to force him to do it.

He's summoned to the meeting of the 'World's Strongest Seven', and re-introduced to the Mafia. The other six look down on him, which only strengthens his mask. He lessens the confidence and lets more of the pathetic coward shine through, leaving the others to think it was the 'real' Skull. Reborn, Verde and Viper may specialize in collecting truths, but Skull had (too much) experience with masks.

Reborn sees he's powerful, but also has the misconception that he doesn't know how to handle that power and treats him accordingly.

Verde quickly loses interest in him when he observes his Cloud flames are simply extraordinarily strong, and not anything worth studying.

Lal dismisses him as a coward and unfit for battle.

Fon is just worried about dragging a civilian into the Mafia, probably because he's untrained and uninformed and will only be of hindrance to the mission.

Viper knows there's something more about Skull, something hidden, but when they don't find anything all they can do is look at Skull until he reveals it himself.

Luce is an enigma. She treats Skull with familiarity, but never gives a sign she knows about any past lives. She looks at him like he's a civilian. Skull ponders the possibility her visions are limited to his and others' current lives.

Skull would rather not, but he joins the others on a few missions. Rescue missions mainly. Saving civilians is something completely new to him, and it doesn't suit him well. The blood on his hands had long dried.

Then Luce calls a meeting asking all of them to accompany her on a mission, but refuses to give any details. Skull wants to protest, but Reborn's look stops him- if he disagreed, Reborn would try to force him to go, and it simply wasn't worth trying to escape Reborn's wrath while keeping his mask up just because of a bad feeling in his stomach. So he nods curtly, rather unlike his usual behavior because he can't shake the feeling that something is _wrong,_ and goes along.

Viper looks suspicious too, probably only joining them because there was information to be gained, and knowledge was money. Skull looks at the others, but they all seem determined to believe their Sky would never do them harm.

Lelouch knew better. The woman wore a mask just like his, and was as much if not more manipulating as Charles zi Brittania and- Lelouch could admit- himself. Like every one of the Arcobaleno, Luce was the best in her trade.

Before Skull knew it, they were standing at the foot of a mountain, looking up. Skull complained all the way to the top, and this time it wasn't all just playing his part. There was real worry that clouded his mind, and the fact that he didn't know its origin concerned Skull even more.

When they finally reached the mountain top Skull was hit full force with a feeling of _danger._ He automatically moved into a fight or flight position, muscles relaxing so he could move more fluently in a threatening situation.

The rest of the group had moved towards the middle of the mountain top already, and Reborn glowered at an unmoving Skull.

"Keep up, Lackey."

When Skull didn't bother to respond, too caught up in locating the threat, Reborn growled and started towards him, hands moving to his gun.

"Lackey-"

Reborn was interrupted by an enormous, blinding flash of light and heat and it _burned_ in Skulls lungs for a split second before it went away as quickly as it came.

Skull fell to the ground, gasping, unable to scream in pain with the amount of oxygen left in his still burning lungs. Every bone in his body ached and hurt, but Skulls attention wasn't on that or even on his surroundings anymore.

In his mind, something had stirred. He remembered feeling almost like this- a _horrible burning and agony he can't escape no one could escape no one no one no one was there with him he was alone he was ALONE-_

Skull tumbled off the edge he'd been so close to. He wildly, instinctively reached out with his arms to grab onto something, anything, but it felt like his body was completely off balance, everything he _knew_ he could reach he suddenly couldn't reach and it only took a moment for him to hit the ground, stomach first, breaking multiple ribs and yet tumbling farther as Skull didn't even get the chance to scream in pain.

Finally he came to a stop, at the foot of the huge mountain, purple Flames completely enveloping his battered and bruised body. He should be dead. Even his Flames shouldn't be able to keep him alive through that, Skull knew, even with his mind fuzzy and spinning. He coughed weakly, tasting blood.

Skull clenched his eyes shut, willing the violent nausea away, and simultaniously trying to unsee the rocks under him stained with blood. It was a familiar sight, the deep scarlet liquid staining every surface, and not one he appreciated.

He remembered now. His previous life. The life he'd lived after dying for his Sky, and waking up in a cage. From the moment he'd woken up he'd known something was different, he could _feel_ the Flames inside of him singing, dancing with a warmth he'd never felt before, only dimmed by the restrictions around him.

Because whatever his flame type, Lelouch had never been one to be caged.

That warmth had soon been turned to cold and bitter emptiness as the ones that were supposed to be his family tested him, tortured him but always kept him just a step away from death. They wanted to create the perfect Sky with the perfect elements to match _it,_ the perfect mafia family.

The agony only truly began when they found the 'perfect' elements. One by one they forced him to harmonize with them, a forced bond that brought only pain to Lelouch, pure oain worse than anything he'd felt, worse than losing _everything._

Nine years long the pain and loneliness had persisted before Lelouch saw his chance and ended it. It had been the first time throughout all his lives that he himself was the one to end his own life.

As soon as he felt he could move again, Skull curled into a ball and blocked out the world. The others wouldn't search for him. Maybe they wouldn't even notice that he was gone. Skull honestly didn't really care.

He wished Riku was there.


	3. Desert

It was a long time before Skull got up.

There was nothing for him to do. No path to follow, no choice to make, not even stunts were a possible escape from reality now, as he'd found out when he finally got up and noticed his body was that of a baby's.

That must've been the burning feeling, Skull reasoned numbly. His bones and body shrinking impossibly fast. Weakening and becoming young and breakable. The glowing purple pacifier he couldn't remove reminded Skull of a tale he'd heard a long time ago.

A tale about the tri-ni-sette that kept the world in balance. Seven Mare, seven Vongola and seven Arcobaleno, chosen by an unknown factor. It _would_ be just his luck that he was chosen to be the Cloud Arcobaleno.

Lelouch didn't truly care about that. He had nothing, he hadn't lost anything, except the ability to ride, to stunt. The adrenaline rush that had kept him from losing himself for so long.

This was too much like his first life as a Cloud. This nothingness is what lead him in his search for answers, the massacre he had sworn never to repeat. This absolutely nothingness terrified him because becoming what he'd been for so long- a killer- was closer than it had been for a long time.

He needed something else. Something stable, an anchor to keep him from the tempting path of just not caring like he was prone to.

That had been Nunnally, once upon a time. Nunnally, Suzaku, and revenge. But that was a long time ago. There was nothing left to fight for.

Lelouch limped numbly back to his apartment as well as he could, still not fully healed despite the record speed with which his Flames worked, which only went to show how close to death he'd been right then and there.

He wouldn't have minded death. No, actually, maybe he would have. Having to grow up for the thirteenth time, going through the motions again, it wasn't an appealing thought. It'd happen eventually, but Lelouch certainly had no desire to speed up his pace towards it.

He sighed as he entered his small but well-kept apartment. Something to keep him grounded.. A Sky. He'd have to harmonize with a Sky.

Skull couldn't. He couldn't harmonize with another Sky, not while his first and only Sky's memory was still so vibrant and he could almost still feel the warmth of their bond.

So Skull did the next best thing. He hid himself away from the world, deep in his mind, pushing the part of him that was so purely _Cloud_ to the furthest corner of his soul. He wouldn't let himself become that again.

And if his Skull persona didn't hold up sometimes, if his constant stream of enemies glimpsed a pair of glowing eyes or if Skull reacted faster and sharper than his wimpy, inexperienced body should be able to, he reinforced his mask until he couldn't remember what real emotions felt like anymore.

It was years before he heard from the others- the other Arcobaleno, Skull guessed- again. It came in the form of a baby hitman breaking down his door.

Skull squeaked and fell off the chair he'd been standing on to reach the higher cupboards in his house. Reborn, baby Reborn who honestly looked kind of adorable, scoffed and muttered, "Pathetic."

"Senpai!" Skull hastily scrabbled up, ignoring the chair and open cubboard behind him. "What are you doing in the great Skull-sama's home?"

Then he took note of the broken door, barely hanging in its hinges. "Senpai!" He whined.

"Shut up, Lackey." Reborn intoned, pointing a green gun at Skull- and where had he gotten that, anyway? It had just appeared out of nowhere.

Skull gulped and stayed silent.

"Luce asked for every Arcobaleno to gather, although I don't know why she would even bother with you, Lackey," Reborn scoffed, looking at him derogatorily. While speaking, he absentmindedly lifted his gun to his fedora, where it changed into a chameleon and curled up on the rim of the hat. You know, as you do.

"Nobody bothered to find out where you were, so I was asked to track you down." Reborn looked annoyed. "You're going to pay for wasting my time, Lackey."

Skull began to protest indignantly, but stopped when Reborn shot a glare at him. He had to remind himself Reborn was Worlds Greatest Hitman for a reason, Skull had to tone done the bravado a bit around him.

The private jet Reborn forced him into didn't surprise Skull in the least. What did surprise him, however, was how fast they landed again after the uncomfortably silent flight. Was the Giglio Nero base really that close?

Skull decided not to worry about it as he stepped out and looked in wonder at the lively surroundings.

The pilot had expertly landed them in a big open field surrounded by woodlands. Not a hundred meters further stood a large mansion, which Skull guessed was the meet up place.

It all looked very peaceful and tranquil, a stark contrast to the scowling hitman next to Skull.

"Stop gaping and get going." Reborn ordered emotionlessly, and Skull decided not to protest, in favor of keeping his limbs connected to his body.

Skull meekly followed Reborn, and as they neared the mansion he saw a little girl playing in the grass, unsupervised.

She was maybe four years old, wearing a pretty flower dress. She didn't look happy, like most children would be on a warm, sunny day like this, there was a sadness in her eyes, a weight that pressed on the young girl.

Skull carefully approached her, taking note that Reborn didn't attempt to stop him.

"Hey," he began as he plopped down next to the girl, "what's your name?"

The girl looked at him and smiled brightly, seeming to have put aside whatever was saddening her.

"I'm Aria!" She chirped. "And you're uncle Skull, right? Mommy said you were coming!"

Skull laughed in amazement. This was Luce's kid, the one she'd given birth to just a few days before the curse.

"Nice to meet you, Aria!" Skull said cheerfully. "Yeah, I am the Amazing Immortal Skull-sama! But you may call me Skull."

Aria smiled innocently, but dropped the smile as she looked down again sadly.

"Uncle Skull," She whispered tearfully, "Mommy told me she's going away and not coming back for a while.." Skull's eyes widened. "Do you know if I'll..." She sniffled and quickly swiped unfallen tears out of her eyes. "Do you know if I'll ever see her again?"

She looked so hopeless, so desperate for the reassurance that it was all going to be okay, and for a moment a different girl was sitting in front of him.

 _"Where's mommy?" Nunnally asked desperately. "Why didn't she get up? Please, big brother, why did she leave us?"_

Skull gently pulled Aria into a hug, closing his eyes to block out the memories.

"I don't know," He whispered honestly, sadly, just like he had done all those years ago. "I don't know."

Aria hugged him back, then pulled away.

"That's okay," She said, smiling sadly through her tears.

Skull left her in the grass, following a silent Reborn into the house.

Luce was dying. That's why she wanted to see the Arcobaleno one last time.

Skull was familiar with death. He would almost view it as a friend, or an enemy, or just there, constantly. For Skull, life was filled with death.

He would never know if there was an afterlife, and he'd accepted that a long time ago. But sometimes he forgot that death for others was permanent.

The living room was scattered with Arcobaleno. Verde and Viper were ignoring everyone, Fon was in the open kitchen doing.. something, and Lal was softly talking with a blonde Skull didn't recognize. But the blonde was their age- physical age- and had a blue pacifier, while Lal's pacifier was grey and clouded. Skull could guess what happened there. They looked up at their entrance.

"Any news?" Reborn asked, gracefully jumping up onto an armchair.

Lal sighed. "Her condition is bad and it's not getting better. She's not expected to last the night."

Skull felt sad that this was the way Aria lost her mother. If he remembered correctly, the Sky Arcobaleno always died early. It was unavoidable.

"She asked to speak with each of us individually. You two are the only ones she hasn't seen yet." Lal continued.

Skull shot a surprised glance at Reborn. Luce hadn't even seen Reborn before he went to track Skull? He must still have a grudge from being led into a trap by her.

Reborn muttered something under his breath and jumped to the ground, walking out of the living room and to where Skull assumed Luce was.

Skull plopped down on a chair and nodded to the blonde. "So, who's he?"

Fon, who approached from the kitchen with a plate full of steaming mugs, heard Skull's question.

"Oh, that's right, you haven't met him yet. That's Colonello, Lal's student. He followed us up the mountain and became the Rain Arcobaleno instead of her." He said casually, placing down mugs of hot chocolate in front of everyone. Then he turned to Skull.

"Actually, you were gone the moment we woke up on the mountain. Where did you go, anyway?"

Viper looked up at that, interested too now. Lal nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, you had suddenly disappeared."

Skull shrugged. "I just went down the mountain."

Just fell a few thousand feet and was only hanging into life by a thread, he left out.

"Well, duh, but why?" Verde piped in. "Weren't you the least bit curious to know what happened?"

"No." Skull simply said, lounging back in his chair.

Verde rolled his eyes and went back to his book.

"Lackey."

Skull jumped and squeaked like he hadn't felt Reborn approach.

"Your turn."

Skull hadn't really cared for Luce even before she tricked them, but he was interested on what she had to say to him.

No one had given him directions, so he just followed Luce's distinct flame signature, which led him up the stairs and down a hallway until Skull was standing before a plain door.

He knocked lightly and heard Luce's voice for the first time in years.

"It's open." Luce's voice sounded weak and frail, not like she was old but like she just didn't have the strength to raise her voice.

Skull entered and closed the door behind him. Luce was lying in bed, looking horrible, but despite that she smiled upon seeing him.

"Lelouch," She greeted.

Skull tensed. Had he been wrong? Could she see-

"That's what your parents named you before you ran away, right?" She added upon seeing him tense up.

"Yeah," he confirmed softly, relaxing. She didn't know.

"You never trusted me, did you?" She laughed weakly.

"Of course not." Skull agreed automatically.

She nodded, having already known. "I have only one request of you."

Skull indicated for her to go on.

"Would you take care of Aria and Yuni for me?"

This got Skull's attention. "Yuni?"

"My granddaughter. She'll be born in about twenty six years." Luce smiled tiredly.

Skull thought back to the little girl outside, who called him 'Uncle' and had the weight of the world in her eyes but still managed an innocent, cheerful smile.

"Yeah." Skull decided. "I'll look after them."

Because damn it, Aria's innocent blue eyes were exactly the same as Nunnally's.

As Skull walked downstairs, Viper deactivated their bug in Luce's room, keeping that information for later.

Viper was surprised to hear that Skull suspected Luce from the beginning. They weren't sure of its usefulness, but you never know. Skulls real name or the fact that he was a runaway might turn out to be valuable.

Meanwhile they focused on the audio of Reborn near tears while confessing that Luce would forever be his Sky. Now that, that was blackmail material.

The Arcobaleno stayed with Luce the next few hours, Aria having sneaked inside too despite her mothers wishes. She'd curled up against her mother for the last few hours of Luce's life, and the room was filled with a heavy silence.

"Everyone," Luce finally spoke up, "I'm glad you all came. I'm glad I got to see you one last time.

"Aria," She turned to her daughter, who had silent tears streaming down her face. "Stay brave, alright? Stay safe. Trust in yourself."

Luce's eyes fluttered closed. "I think I'm going to sleep now.."

Aria began to sob and Skull turned away. He couldn't watch this.

Luce didn't open her eyes again. That evening the other Arcobaleno left the mansion, going on with their lives, while Skull stayed.

He comforted Aria the best he could when he realized no one else was doing it. Aria had no friends her age, no true Guardians- because while officially she'd taken up the title of Sky Arcobaleno, her Flames hadn't matured yet and she couldn't harmonize with anyone yet- and everyone in the Giglio Nero famiglia kept a certain distance from her.

Skull had decided to stay and protect Aria as he'd promised, at least for a little while.

A little while turned into a month, to a year, two years, five years. The Giglio Nero had become closer to Aria, truly treating her as their Sky now, and Skull was all but adopted into the family.

But Skull was restless. He didn't truly belong there, no matter how much he cared for the Giglio Nero, and he wasn't made to stay in one place. It was slowly beginning to feel less like a home and more like a cage.

So on Aria's tenth birthday, after a happy day of festivities, when the sun was setting and the party dissolving, Skull sat Aria down and explained he had to leave.

"B-But Uncle Skull.." Aria looked crushed, but steeled herself and looked him in the eyes. "Will you come back?"

"Of course, Aria," Skull reassured her. "I'll always come back."

"Then, before you go, at least let me give you this."

Aria pulled him to the back of the mansion, and to something covered by a large canvas.

"I know how much you miss it," She said determinedly, "So I had Marino make another for you. It was finished just a few days ago."

Skull was puzzled. Marino was the Giglio Nero's mechanic, what would he-

Suddenly Skull realized.

"Really? Aria, you.." He laughed, amazed.

Aria grinned despite her sadness and pulled the canvas off of the small Skull-sized motorcycle.

Skull was almost crying in happiness as he hugged Aria. Finally, finally he could fly again.

He wouldn't let it go to waste.

Skull left and he was okay. Life wasn't beating him down with every turn anymore. He visited Aria as the years passed and she grew older.

Her Flames reached maturity and when Skull visited again he could feel them, strong, pure and beautiful. But his Flames refused to harmonize.

"It's fine, Uncle Skull," Aria, sixteen years old, smiled gently, "I always knew you could never be my Cloud."

Skull just nodded. After his last lifetime, after being broken so many times, he truly wasn't sure he'd ever be able to harmonize again.

"I'm sorry," He tells her anyway.

He really is. Aria would never have a Cloud Guardian, bound by the title of Sky Arcobaleno as she was. And knowing the other Arcobaleno, she would never have any real Guardians.

Not a year later Skull is traveling Japan, taking in familiar sights, when he gets kidnapped- again.

He's grabbed from behind and a cloth is held to his nose. Skull holds his breath, but he can still taste the overwhelmingly sweet chloroform on his tongue.

After a moment of struggle, Skull slowly goes limp, and his kidnapper takes the cloth away and drags him into a vehicle, without checking if he really was unconscious.

Skull didn't blame him, anyone else would have been solidly knocked out, but the strong Cloud Flames running through his blood had immediately gone to war with the intrusive chemical.

His mind was hazy, but it was getting clearer by the minute.

"Too easy." He heard a male voice scoff, and another snorted in return.

"You would think the Cloud Arcobaleno woulda been a bit harder ta catch." The second man responded. Mafia, then. Predictably.

Skull heard footsteps shuffling around him as the vehicle- he suspected a van, it was always a van- started up.

These men weren't Flame Active, Skull couldn't sense any Flames but his own. He almost felt offended. The mafia had sent lackeys and they thought they could kidnap an Arcobaleno.

"I told ya this was gonna be easy. Look, just us three and we got'im easy. When the boss sees this we'll be gettin' that promotion real fast!" The second man boasted.

Bad move.

Skull jumped up and got Thick Accent with a left hook that caused the man's head to hit the steel interior of the van rather harshly, causing a small dent, before falling to the floor, lifeless. Before the other could react, Skull was holding a sharp dagger drenched with Cloud Flames under the guy's chin.

"Just the three of you, huh." Skull grinned cheerfully. "And no one else knows I'm here. How convenient."

The guy was shaking in terror, not making a single sound.

"Let's start with your family's name and we'll go from there."

A few minutes later Skull jumped out of the parked van, leaving the behind the stench of death. He might avoid killing in general, but idiot kidnappers and a few other specific groups were free reign.

Skull absently swept away a smear of blood from his arm and looked around, surprised at recognizing his surroundings. This was actually closer to his hotel than he'd been before getting kidnapped.

A free lift. Skull certainly wasn't complaining.

Just another day in Skull's life.

 **This one took a bit longer, because I'm now going for an average of 3000 words per chapter on this story.** **But right now I'm focusing on** **this story instead of the fourteen others I have waiting for me.**


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